


Out of Time

by PinkPandorafrog



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Aromantic, F/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-05-26 05:33:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6225937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkPandorafrog/pseuds/PinkPandorafrog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thanks to a science mishap, Darcy ends up in the '40s. Fortunately, she sees what's basically a familiar face. Unfortunately, she's about to have the worst experience of her life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A oneshot collection. I'm not writing them in chronological order, but I'll be posting the chapters in chronological order, so I'll put a note here about which chapter is the new one. A oneshot collection of my Darcy-in-a-basement-during-WWII AU.  
>  **Chapter 5 is the new chapter.**

A solid swat against her ass jolted Darcy awake. She sat up in bed and glared sleepily up at Tony, who was wearing a gigantic smirk as he stood there with his hands on his hips. “Up.” He was completely unrepentant.

She pushed back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I don't know why you're so fucking perky, you couldn't have gotten any more sleep than I did.” Less, considering how already-caffeinated he looked.

He gestured to the bedside table. “Science.”

Darcy followed the motion of his hand to see her favorite mug already sitting there, steam curling up from the warm brown liquid inside. “Okay. I'll forgive you this once, but next time maybe don't keep me up so late when we're meeting SHIELD the next day.” They'd been summoned, specifically her and Tony, for some top secret SHIELD meeting thing. She reached for the mug, wrapping her fingers around it and bring up in front of her face just to breathe in the scent of the heavenly drink.

“No promises.” He paused, looking down at her for a moment. “Especially not when you crawl into my bed naked in the middle of the night.” He paused again. “Yeah, I'm thinking this one is more your fault, actually.”

She shrugged, taking a sip of the hot coffee. “Your bed is more comfortable than mine.” It really was, too. And, you know, the multitude of orgasms that came along with it. But his bed really felt like it had been made out of clouds stuffed with baby bunny fur.

There was enough time for a shower and a second cup of coffee before they headed up to the quinjet. It would have been faster for Tony just to fly in his suit, of course, but then _she_ couldn't have gone with him, at least not without freezing. But he knew how to fly the thing, so it wasn't really a big deal.

It was a shorter flight than a commercial airline was, though. And there was totally a landing pad for the quinjet to set down on. Fury was waiting there for them, face completely unreadable. Next to him was a slightly taller man, and Darcy grinned when she saw him. She hadn't seen Erik in... Well, a while, anyway.

Tony lowered the ramp to the quinjet, and Darcy walked out ahead of him as he put it in park or whatever. Erik got a big hug, Fury did not. Darcy kinda suspected that Fury's coat repelled hugs, but one of these days she was going to test it and find out.

“Is Jane coming?” she asked as she pulled back from Erik, looking between him and Fury. Darcy didn't know exactly why they'd been called out to SHIELD, just that they needed to be there. Tony didn't know either, apparently it was some big confidential thing. But if Erik was here, then this was probably something that Jane was _the_ expert on.

“As soon as she's done with her lecture in Portland, she'll be meeting us out here,” Erik answered, and Fury nodded to back it up.

“Okay.” That was good. Jane was awesome, and just so busy lately, it felt like Darcy hardly ever saw her anymore.

When Tony came out of the quinjet, Fury led them over to an elevator. A helpful voice announced who he was, and Fury pressed one of the very bottom buttons.

The elevator ride was relatively long, for an elevator, anyway. Tony, with his habit of ignoring things like personal space, stood close enough that her shoulder brushed against his chest. He rested his hand against the small of her back, drumming his fingers a little. “Are there plans for lunch? We should do lunch somewhere.” The comment was directed to Fury, and Fury just gave him a look.

Eventually, though, they reached their destination, and the metal doors slid smoothly open. There were armed and armored guys just outside the elevator, making Darcy's eyebrows raise a little. Apparently this was a Big Deal.

There was a short hallway with a set of solid double doors at the other end, bracketed by more guard-types. They didn't even look at the small party that was making their way down the hall.

“Wow,” Darcy thought aloud, looking at the one to the left of the door. “I've never felt more unwelcome anywhere. Not even when you all were stealing all of Jane's shit.”

Tony smirked. Erik nodded in agreement.

But Fury stood in front of a biometric scanner thing, and it beeped to confirm that he really was himself. The thick double doors slid open on their own, and he led them inside.

They were in a small, square room. Some sort of dark obelisk or something was standing directly in the center of the room. There were more guards on _this_ side of the door, too, just hanging out and watching the stone. And if that wasn't the most boring job in the history of ever, Darcy wasn't sure what would be.

“This is an artifact we picked up out of one Howard Stark's old storage facilities.” Fury cut a meaningful look to Tony. “It's alien in origin, that much we know. There are some notes on it that indicate it's some kind of Einstein-Rosen bridge.”

Tony frowned as he looked at it, slipping away from Darcy. His arms folded across his chest as he walked over to it, shaking his head. “I've never seen it before in my life. The old man certainly didn't say anything about it.” He looked over at Fury. “I want to get this over to my lab to run a full set of tests on it.”

Fury actually looked amused at that. “We have lab facilities here, Mr. Stark. Some of our brightest minds have been looking at it.”

“Not as bright as mine.” He glanced over at Darcy. “And Dr. Foster's. Do you have a... write up? Something I can read?”

Fury pulled a tablet out of a pocket in his billowy coat, reaching over to put it in Tony's outstretched hand. He started looking over it, moving over to where Erik was standing so they could look at it together.

But this was all a little bit weird. “Okay...” Darcy shook her head, looking back up at Fury. “So, we know why Tony's here, right? This was his dad's shit, and the whole genius thing. Jane and Erik, that's pretty obvious. But, like... Why am I here?” Because as awesome as she was, Darcy totally knew her limits, and this was _so_ outside her wheelhouse. “I haven't been an RAA in ages. I mean, not that I mind...” She glanced back and forth between Tony and Fury, entirely unsure how a PR director was going to fit into this whole thing. “But don't you have actual science-y research assistants in SHIELD?”

Fury's expression seemed to grow a little bit pained. “Ms. Lewis, if you please.” He was stepping over to the side of the room, away from where Tony and Erik were now discussing the contents of the tablet.

Darcy narrowed her eyes as she followed after him. They were facing the wall, apparently this was supposed to be some sort of private discussion. “Ms. Lewis, your name was in the SSR files that mention this.”

“I... What?” She shook her head. “That doesn't make sense. Billions of people, I'm willing to bet I'm not the first Darcy Louise Lewis on the face of the planet.”

Fury reached into his coat of many pockets again, and this time he came out with an old black and white photograph. That was... That was her. Unmistakably her. And someone who bore a striking resemblance to Tony. He had his arm around her, and she was giving him a look she often gave Tony. She stared at it for a second, pressing her lips together between her teeth before looking back up at Fury again. “Um. What?”

“The instructions in the file were pretty clear. Howard Stark,” he paused for a second, lips twisting into something of a grimace before continuing, “left instructions that you specifically were to be here.”

“Uh...” Okay, so she wasn't a theoretical physicist, right? But she knew what this _looked_ like. Because Howard Stark was Tony's dad. The guy in the picture could totally be Tony's dad. Files from before Tony's dad had died, which was in the early '90s or whatever, had mentioned her specifically by name. Einstein-Rosen bridges connected space and time. So...

“Nope.” A whole pile of nope. A whole huge, gigantic pile of nope. She turned away from Fury and walked back through the room towards the doors. Hopefully the guards there would let her out, because she had a sudden urge just to be on the other side of the planet.

As she walked by the obelisk, though, it _reached_ for her. Long tendrils of liquid dark rock _reached_ for her, sucking in her arm. It felt _weird_ , like a slimy black nothingness. “Tony...” He looked up at her, and she reached her free hand out to him. “Tony!”

The nothingness was pulling her back towards the rock, slowly crawling over more and more of her body. She felt chilled, and numb, and queasy, and like her skin was suffocating. “Tony!” Her voice was a broken shriek of terror. She tried to pull against it, but it was like being stuck in glue.

He thrust the tablet at Erik, lunging towards her. The obelisk was sucking her in faster than he could move, though, and the last thing she saw was his hand outstretched towards her.

And then nothing. An eternity of endless nothing.

The nothing ended with a jolt. Darcy landed rather painfully on a concrete floor somewhere, definitely _not_ where she had been. “Oh, fuck me.” It was a larger room, tables with test tubes and gadgets strewn across them, and...

A man. A man who was looking at her like she was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. “Hi, sweetheart. Where'd you come from?” The man from the picture- Howard Stark. The familial resemblance was more obvious in person.

"Fuck me."

 


	2. Chapter 2

Darcy made a face. “Another James? Seriously, Tim?” Because there was actual James, then there was Jim, then there was Bucky. And now... Another James? Canadian James as opposed to British James? Was that going to be the only differentiation?

Tim just shrugged. “He's a good soldier, Darcy.” He looked down at her for a moment, blue eyes serious. “Steve just thought that since this is your home, basically, we should probably ask before we brought strangers down here.”

She sighed, the fresh reminder that this super charming basement was actually her _home_ kinda tugging at her a little. “Fine. He can come down here.” Her begrudging tone had more to do with how she felt about the place than someone new coming down. Her social life was basically limited to the same handful of people, so someone else, even for a little bit, might be kinda nice.

Tim grinned at her, the corners of his lips disappearing up into his rather impressive mustache. “I'll let them know.” His arm came around her shoulders for a quick moment before he headed off towards the stairs.

Darcy sighed again, moving over to the counter at the side of the room where the range stood to get some coffee started. If there was one thing her boys, and it was kind of funny how she thought about them as her boys, enjoyed, it was coffee. Well, most of them. James- British James- was stubbornly stuck on tea. Then again, so was Peggy. Between the two of them, they'd demolish most of a pot.

By the time she heard the noise of “her” boys coming down the stairs, the coffee and tea were both made, and Darcy was sitting in her chair by the stove knitting. Socks, endless socks. It was hard not to feel a little bit excited. Sure meeting some strange guy in this particular time could always be a bit hit or miss, but it was something _new_. It was a change in the monotony of her situation, and that was definitely exciting.

It wasn't exactly hard to point out the new guy, either. James- Canadian James- was probably right around her height. He was broad, like someone had taken all of Steve's shiny new muscles and squished them into someone a foot shorter. And he had facial hair to rival Tim, although his all seemed to be impressive sideburns and stubble that looked like it would feel absolutely amazing on the inside of her thighs.

Okay, maybe _that_ was a little too far for someone she hadn't even met yet, but, like... Damn. “Can I put you on my to-do list?” she murmured, getting to her feet. And he looked at her and smiled like he'd somehow heard there. Of course, there was a pretty good chance _Steve_ had heard her, and by the slight pink tinge on his cheeks it was looking more and more likely.

But Steve was making his way over, pink cheeks and all, and Canadian James was walking along beside him. “This is Darcy. Darcy, this is-”

“You can call me Logan, darlin'.'” That was definitely easier than Canadian James. And the way he was looking at her when he said _darlin'_ was enough to send a shiver down her spine. He had enough smolder to rival Bucky.

“Yeah. Hi.” She offered him her hand. “Sure is nice to meet someone else who's, you know, pocket-sized.” She gave Steve a rather pointed look. Steve had been more Darcy-sized at one point, but she hadn't really met him until just before he got all huge. And all that had entailed. She pushed all that to the back of her mind and smiled at Logan. He had really nice eyes.

He took her hand in his. “My pleasure.” He was even warmer than Steve, which was a little bit odd. Steve's body temperature had gone up a few degrees when he'd been enhanced, so either Logan was similarly gifted, or he was rocking a pretty major fever. He didn't _look_ sick.

“Hey, um...” Darcy looked between him and Steve. Chances were pretty good that whatever she said with Steve in the room, he'd probably hear anyway. Might as well just do it with him standing right there. “Are you sick? I mean, fever?”

“Nope. I've got a condition that makes me a run a little hotter than most.”

“Okay.” So the enhanced thing. Or whatever. “Are you, uh, coffee or tea?” She gestured over her shoulder to where the rest of the guys had already helped themselves to their drinks of choice.

“No thanks.” He let go of her hand, and her fingers suddenly felt a little bit cold.

Steve took the opportunity to get himself a drink and go join the guys at the long wooden table that just seated everyone. There'd be enough room for Logan if Peggy didn't happen to show up. Maybe if Peggy did show up, Darcy could sit on Logan. Okay, wow. She needed to stop. She'd _just_ met the guy, and her hormones were sort of taking the _someone new_ thing and running with it.

“So are you on loan from Canada or something?” That seemed fairly benign. She knew that sometimes they'd swap personnel or something like that. Maybe borrow more than swap? Whatever. James was over from the British Armed Forces and Jacques was French, so obviously...

“Something like that.” He glanced around before leaning in like he had some big secret or something. “Officially I ain't here.”

Darcy shrugged. “Yeah, me neither.”

“Hey, Darcy.” Gabe's voice pulled her attention away from Logan, and she turned towards the table. He was shuffling a rather worn deck of cards as he looked up at her. “Am I dealing you in?”

She glanced over at Logan before moving over to the empty chair at the table that she usually sat in. “Sure. How the fuck else am I supposed to keep affording to ship over all my lacy nothings from the US?”

“If I let you win, do I get to see?” Logan had pulled a cigar out of somewhere and was grinning around it as he settled himself down over by Steve where Peggy usually sat.

“If you _let_ me win?” Darcy let her eyes move over him. _Tony_ had taught her how to play poker. “Oh, hon.”

The glimmer in his eyes had another shiver going down her spine. Well. This was going to be interesting.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So [this](http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/Pages/2016/acquisition-records-supersoldier-james-howlett.aspx) is Canada's take on an April Fool's Day, and I was all, "OOOOOOH! INSPIRATION!!!!" Because comics canon is that Logan did meet up with Steve Rogers and the Howling Commandos at some point during WWII.


	3. Chapter 3

Darcy was pacing. The guys were sitting over at the long table, talking about their upcoming mission or whatever over the coffee she'd brewed not that long ago. There was an empty chair- her chair. They'd invited her to sit with them. Colonel Phillips had realized that them talking about their missions might trigger more memories of things she'd learned so long ago in history class, so she was on the privileged information list.

But she couldn't sit still. She'd tried, sitting down between Jim and Actual James, but it hadn't lasted long before she was up and pacing. Every so often Tim would look over at her with a concerned expression, and she'd give him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. He looked less and less convinced each time she'd done it.

The thing was, them talking about their mission _had_ triggered something. Something was nagging at the back of her mind. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something important.

A shiver crawled up her spine, and she wrapped her knit sweater a little more tightly around herself. Her basement was a little chilly at the best of times, and now it was the middle of a very snowy January. The little heater over in the corner could only do so much.

Someone was wrapping a scratchy army blanket around her shoulders, startling her out of her reverie. She'd stopped pacing and had been staring off into space. A look over her shoulder told her that it was Bucky standing there, a grin on his face. He'd been a little extra flirty since their shared kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas. “You look cold.”

“Little bit, thanks.” Darcy smiled up at him, grabbing the edges of the blanket and pulling it a little more closely around herself.

“Come sit down, have a drink. That'll warm you right up.” One hand brushed over her back as he gestured over to the empty seat at the table. A few sets of eyes were focused on them, mostly seeming amused. “We're just taking bets on if Stevie's still gonna throw up going down to the train.”

Train. That was it! Her eyes widened, and she looked back up at Bucky with a growing sense of dread. “I need to talk to Colonel Phillips.” When he didn't immediately turn and head for the stairs, she turned back to the table. “Right away, it's really important.” Her gaze dropped on Tim, silently pleading with him. The all knew what she was there for, but this was the first time she'd remembered something that was quite so urgent.

He took one last drink of his coffee and rested the mug on the table. “This about the mission?” She nodded. “Yeah. Sit tight, Darcy.” He unfolded himself from the folding chair and strode past them to the stairs that led up to actual daylight.

Darcy started pacing again, worrying the edge of the blanket in her fingers.

* * *

 

“No.” Colonel Phillips looked completely unmoved by the single tear that was silently making its way down Darcy's cheek. “No, Agent Lewis. If this is something that happened in your time line, then it's essential that it happens now.” He shook his head. “Changing the outcome of this could be the thing that makes it so that you don't come back here.”

Darcy mentally cursed Howard for explaining the whole making changes in the past altering her reality thing to the colonel. It was true that she'd shared some vital information already, but... It couldn't change things that much, right?

She stared at him for a second before whirling towards the door. Well, if _he_ wasn't going to tell Steve and Bucky what was up, she would. Because she _knew_ what was going to go down on that train tomorrow.

“Stop right there,” Colonel Phillips said, and she halted in her tracks. She stared hard at the smooth surface of the door, knowing exactly what was coming and knowing that there wasn't anything she could do about it. “Have a seat, Agent Lewis.”

She turned back around and flopped down in the chair in front of his desk, glaring at him. If looks could kill...

“I think you're going to have to stay here for a while.” He stared down at her for a moment, expression unreadable. He sat in his own chair and pulled out the bottom desk of his drawer. From it he pulled a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. “Drink?”

She only hesitated for a second before nodding. Yeah, a drink sounded like a really fucking good idea. “Please.”

He filled both glasses. Absolutely full, too, not just the socially acceptable amount, and slid one across the desk to her.

Darcy hated whiskey. She picked up the glass and drank until her throat burned and her eyes watered.

* * *

 

The men who filed down into her basement were a far cry from their normal boisterous selves. They were solemn, all of them, faces pinched with sorrow. Darcy knew. She knew...

She'd _just_ stopped crying, too, but the look on Steve's face set her off again. Her arms dropped forward onto the table and she buried her face in them, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Darcy.” Tim's voice was coming closer. In just a second the chair beside hers was pulled out, and an arm draped over her shoulders. “You heard about Barnes?”

She swallowed against the lump in her throat, lifting her head up to look at him. Her hair stuck to the tear tracks, hot around her face. “I knew,” she whispered. His blue eyes were locked on hers, but he wasn't getting it. “I _knew_.”

“Oh shit.” A look of helpless anger came over his face.

Darcy dropped her head back down on her arms again. They were going to hate her. Bucky was dead, and the only friends that she had in this miserable situation she was stuck in were going to hate her. She could have stopped it. She could have told them instead of insisting on going to Colonel Phillips. She could have done something other than what she did, and Bucky would be sitting at the table, winking at her in between sips from his glass.

She could hear the ripples of her truth bomb going around the room, followed by a very heavy silence that was punctuated only by her sniffling into her sleeve.

Large hands closed over her shoulders, gently pulling her to her feet. It was Steve, she saw when she lifted her head, focusing past the tears in her eyes. She could see the muscle twitching in the side of his jaw. “You knew?” He already knew the answer, she could see it in his face. But he needed to hear it from her.

She nodded, unable to turn her gaze away from his. She wanted to. She wanted to run and hide under the blanket on her cot in the next room, but she couldn't.

He swiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, tucked her hair back behind her ear. “You tried, didn't you, Darce? That's why you went to Colonel Phillips?” He wanted her to tell him he was right. He _needed_ it.

She nodded. She opened her mouth to tell him what had happened, but she couldn't force the words out past the thickness in her throat.

Steve smiled, a beautiful, pained smile that broke her heart. “It's not your fault.” He pulled her against him. His heartbeat was a rapid tattoo in his chest, too fast, like it was trying to escape. She rested her ear right over his heart, eyes squeezed shut as his arms closed around her. She'd always liked hugging Steve, but now... Now she kinda hated it, too.

But he didn't hate her. He didn't hate her, which meant no one else could hate her. Bucky had been his best friend, his _brother_. And he didn't hate her. A fresh surge of hot tears brimmed over her eyes. “I'm sorry, Steve,” she whispered into the front of his uniform, unsure if he'd even hear her.

“Me too, Darce,” he whispered back, the words tangling in her hair.

Eventually he pulled away, turning and leaving the basement. Darcy stared after him as he left, she hoped he'd find Peggy. Or Peggy would find him. Peggy would help.

Jacques pushed a glass of _something_  into her hand, and Tim wrapped an arm around her, holding her close against him.

 


	4. Chapter 4

One of the benefits of living in a basement, probably the only one, was that even though it had been an unseasonably warm spring day outside, Darcy was relatively comfortable down in her little hidey-hole.

It was getting late in day, and she knew she should probably get to bed soon. She was restless, though, had been all day. Colonel Phillips hadn't wanted her for anything lately, so it had been a while since she'd been outside. The days were actually starting to blur together a little bit into a hopeless haze.

She sighed, poking her needle through her knitting, and looked up at a blank spot on the wall. If only she'd had windows, that would at least be something. She could open them up, maybe air the place out a little. No doubt that would be forbidden, though, considering she still technically wasn't there.

The last time she'd been to see Colonel Phillips, her file had been open on his desk. The top sheet was so heavily redacted it was almost solid black. Probably a report to... Someone. Whoever pulled on his leash.

Movement pulled her attention, and she looked up to see Jim grinning at her from the bottom of the stairs. “Oh good, you're still up. Come on.” He was missing his hat, which seemed a little odd.

She looked around, as though he could have possibly been talking to anyone else. “What?”

He gave her a look. “Let's go, we gotta hurry.”

Slightly bemused, Darcy stood up and put her half-finished sock on the seat she'd just vacated. This was a little odd. It wasn't entirely unheard of for Colonel Phillips to summon her at odd hours of the night, but Peggy and Tim were her usual go-betweens. Still, this held the promise of some fresh air, and she was pretty desperate.

She moved across the room to him, and as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, he turned and led her up.

The door at the top was closed. Jim got very close to it, holding up one hand for her to be quiet. “All clear, Monty?”

“All clear,” came James' voice through the doorway.

The heavy wooden door was eased open, and Jim slipped out. Immediately he beckoned to her, and Darcy stepped out behind him, letting the door ease shut. He took a quick look around and set off, seeming to know where they were going. They made their through the base and out into the copse of trees that sat just to the west.

Darcy couldn't get enough of the sky. It was amazing. It was a clear night, full of stars even through the trees. And the air smelled good. Out here, anyway, away from the sounds and scents of the base, like grass and the oak tree that loomed over them. “What if Phillips comes looking for me?” She was keeping her voice down, even though they were far enough away that probably no one heard her. Probably.

“Monty's keeping a watch out for us, he'll radio if anyone comes to see you.” Jim gestured over to the radio that was sitting over on the ground, silent for now.

Not that they'd be able to get back in time, but she was so happy to be outside that it was enough to ease her worries. She looked up at him, an incredulous grin growing on her lips. “Are you shitting me right now? You sneaked me out of there for... Star-gazing?”

“Picnic.” He motioned to where a blanket was spread on the ground. It had been easy to miss in the dim light, but her eyes were adjusting. It looked like there was a bottle of something, and a little bundle on the blanket.

“Champagne?” It was a bit of a long-shot, but it wasn't entirely outside the realm of possibilities. Looting was absolutely a thing. Darcy's eyebrows went up a little as she moved over to the blanket and sank down onto her knees. It was a standard scratchy military-issue blanket, but right now it seemed like probably one of the best places to sit ever.

“Hardly.” She couldn't make out his expression, but she could hear the amusement in his voice.

“Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be awesome. Seriously.” She looked up at him, his face shadowing in the night. “Thank you. This is beyond amazing.”

“Of course.” Jim sat down beside her. “I thought you'd have already eaten, but maybe you'd be up for some dessert.” He lifted the little bundle and unwrapped it to pull out a small rectangle.

“Is that chocolate?” And it didn't look like standard D ration chocolate, either. No, that looked like _actual_ fucking chocolate.

“Yeah. Frenchie got some from god knows where.” The foil crinkled as Jim unwrapped it, and then the unmistakable sound of chocolate snapping. “Here.”

Her fingers slid along his as she took the chocolate from him and popped it in her mouth. She moaned as the creamy sweetness hit her tongue. “Oh my god, this is fucking amazing. This is like an orgasm in my mouth.”

She could practically feel his eyes on her as she let the sweet square melt. He picked up the bottle and unscrewed the cap. “I didn't grab cups, we'll have to share.” He lifted it to his mouth.

“Mm.” Darcy swallowed her mouthful and took the bottle as he handed it to her. “Oh no, anything but that. I might get your germs.” As if she hadn't shared food and drinks with the guys before. She brought it to her lips and took a cautious swallow. It was decidedly stronger than champagne. It was in the _throat-burning_ category of liquor, whatever it was. “No,” came out sort of a wheeze. “I don't think we'll have to worry about sharing germs.” They'd all be killed off by the booze. Still, she had another drink before passing it back.

They passed the bottle back and forth until Darcy was feeling comfortably flushed. At some point he pulled off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders.

She lay back on the blanket, head pillowed on her clasped hands, and looked up through the trees at the sky. “I lived in the desert for a while, in a tiny little town out in the middle of nowhere. It was like this, you could see stars forever.” She made a face. “I missed it. I lived in London for a bit, and then New York, and there were just too many lights to see the sky. Now, though...” She trailed off and sighed. Now she spent probably 90% of her time in a basement. And as awesome as being outside was, she knew she was going to have to go back inside probably sooner than she wanted to. Which was, you know, ever.

It was starting to get a little bit chilly even with the warmth from the alcohol, the lingering heat of the day having dissipated. Her legs, especially, were chilly under her army-issue skirt. “You didn't happen to bring an extra blanket, did you?”

“Getting cold?”

“Yeah.” She made a face, eyes fixed on the stars. “I mean, I would totally choose freezing to death over going back down into my cellar.” Well, maybe not _to death_.

Jim leaned over her, the silhouette of his head blocking out the stars. He was close enough that she could make out his features even in the dark, his expression serious as he looked down at her. “I could keep you warm.”

She nodded, her tongue coming out to lick her lips. Yeah. That sounded good.

He leaned down until he settled half over her. His lips pressed against hers, cool and a little bit wet from the alcohol. She could taste the remnants of it as their tongues mingled and danced together. Dipping, darting, little nibbles at her lower lip, Jim definitely knew how to kiss.

She reached up to close one hand over his shoulder, the other tracing along the smooth line of his jaw. He'd saved recently, that was interesting. Usually he just shaved in the morning.

His hand settled on her waist, his knee falling to rest between hers. It had been a while since she'd just kinda made out with someone, and this was really nice.

Eventually, though, Darcy had to pull away to breathe. She drew in a deep breath through her nose, picking up a subtle hint of cologne over the grass. That was a scent she'd know anywhere, though she smelled it a lot less over on this side of the Atlantic. “That smells kinda like Tim's cologne?” Her eyebrows went up a little, a smile spreading across her face.

“Yeah.” Jim gave her an unapologetic shrug. “He told me that I couldn't be disappointing, whatever the fuck that means.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if everyone was in on it, but decided that she didn't really need to know. “Trust me, getting me outside into some actual fresh air, there's no possible way you could disappoint me at this point.”

“I think my night just got a whole lot easier.”

She clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. While she had no doubt that they were going to be ignored if at all possible, she also knew that too much noise would make it impossible for them to be ignored.

His eyes searched hers for a moment. “Still cold?”

“I'm a lot better than I was.” She slipped her hand up, behind his neck, pulling him down towards her again. As their lips met, her hand slid around to the front of his shirt. She pulled at the button at his neck until it popped free, and then the next one.

His dog tags swung out and hit her hand. Without breaking the kiss, he grabbed them and yanked them up to rest at the back of his neck, out of the way. She got the rest of his shirt undone, started pulling his undershirt up out of his pants.

It was Jim who pulled away this time. “You sure you want to do this out here?”

She let her gaze flick back and forth between his eyes. “As opposed to...”

“Your bed?” He motioned his head back towards base.

Darcy made a face. “Very sure. Not only are we already here, but my cot squeaks. And I'd really...” She bent her neck up and nipped gently at his lip. “Really hate to stop here.”

“Good enough for me.” He leaned down again, his lips sliding past hers and down along her jaw. She let her head fall back and to the side. Her eyes closed as his mouth moved hot against the corner of her jaw, sending tingles of pleasure through her.

She got his undershirt all the way untucked, her hand skimming up along his side and onto his back. He was warm, the touch of skin under her fingertips a heady thing. With so much isolation, the intimacy of bare skin was intoxicating.

His hand settled on the outside of her knee, pausing there for just a moment before sliding slowly up, up. She typically wore hose during the day, but usually took them off as soon as dinner was over, because being comfortable was a thing. There was nothing between his fingers and her thigh.

His slightly cool fingers. A shiver ran through her as his thumb brushed against her sensitive inner thigh. “Okay?” His lips shaped the word against the side of her neck.

“Yeah.”

When his fingers slid up over the front of her panties, he pulled away to look at her. She turned to see what was wrong, and even in the dim light she could register the surprise on his face. “You weren't fucking kidding about the lacy shit.”

“Nope. It's not like I have anything else to spend it on. Makes me feel better about having to wear army clothes.”

“Fuck, Darcy...” Jim glanced down the length of her body like he was trying to see through her clothes. “Not tonight, but we need to do this somewhere I can see.”

“I think I can-” She cut off abruptly when his fingers slipped under the edge of the lacy pink fabric, stroking along her center. She gripped at his upper arm, lip caught between her teeth to keep in a moan.

He teased at her clit, eyes intense as he watched her face. It was too much, she let her eyelids fall closed again, fingers pressing in against his back as he rolled back and forth.

His touch left the sensitive bead of flesh, and Darcy made a soft protesting noise. Immediately, though, he was pushing one finger up into the wet heat of her pussy. “Christ,” he murmured.

Darcy rolled her hips up into him. She was suddenly aware of the hard length of his cock against her hip. She was just about to suggest that he might want to move a little so that she could touch too, but another finger slid up deep inside her at the same time as his thumb flicked against her clit. She said something, but she was pretty sure it wasn't intelligible speech.

His movements were quick, furtive, his thumb dancing over her clit as his fingers pushed up into her over and over again. She was rocking into him, the heat in her body coiling in tighter and tighter.

“Bend your fingers a bit,” Darcy breathed, and he crooked his fingers. The next time they thrust into her, they skated over that one magic spot, and she leaned up to bury her mouth into his neck to stifle the noises she was making.

“Fucking Christ, I'm going to have to remember that.” He didn't even slow down, the steady rhythm pushing her closer and closer to ecstasy.

Her fingernails dug into his back as the world came to a stop around her. One long moment of waiting, and then she shuddered under him as she came. His skin was slightly salty, the noises she was making muffled.

Jim gently eased his hand out of her panties as she came down from her high, and she laid back against the blanket and looked at him. He was wearing a slightly smug smile. “What was that?”

“That is the G-spot. It'll be hotly contested for the next 70 years, but trust me, it's there.” She nodded for emphasis.

“How could anyone argue about that?” His tone was one of disbelief.

Darcy shrugged. “Here, sit up for a second.”

He sat up, leaving her side suddenly cold without the heat of his body against it. She followed, though. His jacket had fallen away at some point, so she rolled up the sleeves of her wool sweater.

She knelt in front of him, bending forward to undo his belt. She got it open, undid the front of his pants. “We don't have any lube, but I'll do what I can here.” When she pulled his shorts down, his cock practically bobbed into her hand. Definitely hard.

She closed her hand around his length, letting her fingers trail against the seam on the underside. A dry handjob didn't really sound like the best of ideas, though, so she tucked her hair behind her ears and leaned forward to lick the smooth head.

She licked her lips to wet them before opening her mouth to draw him inside. The slightly salty precome slid across her tongue as she sucked him down, hollowing her cheeks out around him.

“Jesus.” His hand slid over the back of her head, fingers combing through her hair. She bobbed up and down along his length, working her tongue against the underside of his shaft until he was flexing up into her. She could feel his thighs tensing under her arms

“Darcy.” His fingertips pressed against her head a little. “Darcy.” He obviously wanted her to stop.

She sat up to look at him, eyes wide and questioning. “What?”

“Lie back.” Jim's hand slipped around her back, and she let him ease her down until she was on her back on the blanket again.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a condom. She pulled her skirt up, out of the way, and slipped her panties off before parting her thighs. He paused only long enough to put the condom on before he was between her legs, lowering himself towards her.

She caught his cock, guiding it to her slick heat. When he thrust into her, she locked her legs around his lean hips, pulling him in tight. “God, that feels good.”

He muttered something that sounded a lot like agreement. He rocked into her, slowly at first and then faster and faster. His dog tags slid down, swinging into her face, and he impatiently shoved them out of the way again.

She was able to look into his face instead of at his chest, and his expression was so intense she had to close her eyes. She clutched at his shoulders, leaning up to bury her face in his neck again. One of his arms slid under her to support her.

Darcy let her other hand slip between them, finding her clit as he pistoned in and out of her. She rocked up to meet him, rolling her finger back and forth in time to each snap of his hips.

She was getting close again when his rhythm started to falter. A few more strokes, and he buried himself deep inside her, his body going rigid. She let her hips fall still, her own touch bringing her closer and closer to her own release.

He was muttering in her ear, all the naughty things he wanted to do to her, his half-hard cock still inside her. When his mouth closed moved against the corner of her jaw, she came with a long sigh, her thighs shaking around his hips.

They lay in the dark for a bit, catching their breath. Eventually, though, it started to get a bit uncomfortable, and they pulled apart to get dressed.

“Thank you,” Darcy said as she stood up, watching him pick up the blanket and shake it out. He gave her a quick grin, and she smiled too. “Not just for that, but for bringing me out here. It's getting harder to just stay down there and not really do anything.”

“I know.” He stepped into her, hand coming up to stroke a thumb along her jaw. “We're gonna get you out as much as we can.”

She nodded.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer to write than was pretty, but now the fic totally deserves its E-rating. I had a lot of internal angst about how this was going to work in pants, and what Darcy would actually be wearing. But... She and Peggy are about the same shape (if Peggy's a bit taller), so I figured Peggy would be all, "I'll order extra skirts," which Darcy would then hem a bit because, you know, lots of time on her hands.


	5. Chapter 5

Darcy crouched behind a tree, peering out through the darkness. It was quiet there, too quiet. She wasn’t used to quiet anymore, and it was more than a little unnerving. She felt like she’d been sitting there forever.

She couldn’t see  _ anything _ , which didn’t help. The cloud cover was too thick, and there wasn’t anyone else around for miles, allegedly. Which, of course, was the point. Apparently, she’d been in danger, so Tim had been tasked with smuggling her out to somewhere safe.  _ Somewhere _ , because it was so confidential that she didn’t even know. Considering she was technically intelligence, that was pretty fucking confidential. Tim knew, Steve knew, and Colonel Phillips knew. That was it.

“Darcy,” came the harsh whisper through the darkness. “This way.” Thankfully, the whisper was followed up by Tim turning on his light so she had somewhere to go. His voice bounced off the trees too much for her to be able to follow it.

She stole across the ground, her steps seeming overloud in the darkness. She grabbed his shoulder when she reached him.

He shut off the light and took her hand. “This way,” he said in a low voice. Because they were presumably alone, but there was just no way to  _ know _ .

His fingers were warm as they closed around hers. He led her through the darkness, around some trees and up a steep hill. She wasn’t expecting that and she stumbled, but he caught her easily. 

The trees were getting thicker. She could  _ barely _ see in front of herself, but the branches were a lot closer together. She wanted to ask how much further, but she didn’t dare.

“Here,” Tim said at last as a dark shadow loomed up in front of them. He flicked his light on again.

Darcy stopped short. She was about two feet from the wooden door of what looked like an old, run down cabin. “Oh. Does anyone live here?”

“No.” He pushed down the latch and opened the door, gesturing her in ahead of him.

She slipped inside. She had to stop just inside, because he had the light and she still couldn’t see anything.

Tim’s chest brushed against her shoulder as the door shut behind her. The light swept around the room. It really was a tiny cabin. There was a bed in one corner, a fireplace, a table and a chair, and some cupboards.

“You know…” She put her hand on her hip. “At least there’s a bed, right?”

“We’re not going to be able to light a fire. Sorry, Darce, but anyone looking for fire would see the smoke. I probably shouldn’t even have the light on.”

“That’s fine.” Darcy slung her rucksack down to the wooden floor. It wasn’t as loaded up at Tim’s, but she had some stuff. Water, food, change of clothes. They didn’t expect to be there for more than a night or two, but shit had a habit of going sideways “Go ahead and turn it off, it’s not like there’s really anything in here to see.”

He turned the light off. She heard, rather than saw, him move over to the table to put his own rucksack down. She’d barely been able to see anything outside, and it was even darker in the cabin, it was was possible. “You hungry?”

“No, I ate before we left. I  _ was _ getting ready to go to bed, but, well…” She wasn’t exactly sleepy anymore. Funny how creeping around in the dark all hopped up on adrenaline would do that.

“It’s probably going to get cold tonight.” He was moving towards her again, and she felt his hand brush against her shoulder.

“So we’ll share the bed? Is that where we’re going with this?” She shrugged. “Not a big deal. I mean, you might want to make sure there are no creepy crawlies, and it’ll probably be a tight fit to burrito in your blankets, but whatever.”

Tim was silent for a second. “You’re taking this better than I thought you would.”

“Are you serious? There’s more room on that thing than on a cot.” Darcy slowly started to move in the general direction of the bed. “We always seem to manage on those.” She paused. “I mean, not  _ us _ , but…” Her leg bumped into the side of the bed. “Oh, there it is.”

“Let me get the blankets down.” Tim moved around behind her, and the light came on for just a second before there were some fabricky rustling noises. “Where are you, Darce?”

“Here.”

A plank in the wooden floor creaked as he stepped on it, making her gasp and jump. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, you just startled me.” She shook her head. “I’m all wound up from wandering through the woods. Too bad we didn’t bring any of Jim’s hooch.” That would help her wind down, alright, and help keep her warm. Then again, snuggling up that close with Tim would probably keep her at a reasonable temperature.

“That would have been good.” His hand brushed against her arm. “There you are.” He put his light on and shone it over the bed. The mattress had seen better days, but it didn’t look like it was home to any sort of critters. “Hold this?”

She took the light from him and shone it on the bed so he could unroll the blankets. There were two of them, and he was a pro at making a sort of sleeping bag-like configuration with them.

“There.” He straightened up and held out his hand for the light. “You wanna get in first?”

That was probably the best idea. Darcy took off her shoes and gingerly climbed up on the bed and laid down as close to the wall as possible. No pillow. “Hang on.” She pulled off her jacket and bundled it up as much as she could before putting it up near the head of the bed. “There.”

As soon as she was settled in facing the wall, Tim turned the light off. The bed moved as he got on behind her, and he snuggled up right behind her before arranging the blankets around himself. “You comfortable?”

“I mean, it’s better than the floor. Or, like, outside.” She made a face. “It’ll do. It’s only for a night or two.”

Except he kept moving around. He’d shift a little this way, a little that way. “What’s with the earthquake?” she asked.

“It’s just…” His hand touched her hip before immediately moving away like she’d burned him or something.

_ Oh _ . “The arm thing? Just put it around me. It’s kinda unnatural to be this close together without it.”

His arm settled across her waist. Tentatively at first, and then more heavily as he seemed to relax. Presumably, he was using the other one to sleep on. That’s what most of the guys did when they didn’t have pillows.

She could hear him breathing, could feel the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Sleep wasn’t coming any time soon. She  _ wanted _ to toss and turn, but she was entirely too cognizant of the man just behind her. 

“Restless?” Apparently, he still noticed the minute shifting she was doing.

She let out a long sigh. “Yeah, sorry. It’s kinda been a long night and I’m all wound up. It’s quiet, too. I’m not used to it being this quiet.” And sleeping in her blouse and skirt didn’t exactly seem like a good time.

“I know what you mean. Sometimes we’re out where it’s quiet. None of us really sleep well. That’s when Jim’s moonshine comes in handy.” Amusement was warm in his voice.

“Hmm, I bet.”

He shifted behind her, and she was very aware of his cologne. Just the faintest hint, like he probably hadn’t put any on that day, but it was just on his clothes or whatever. She liked the smell of his cologne. It was probably going to be one of those scent memory things when she got back; she’d smell it and turn around, expecting to see it.

He did smell really good. And they were completely alone in the dark, his hand warm where it lay against her stomach… That was a problem. Darcy definitely needed to distract herself from that. “Tim?”

“Yeah?” Was it just her imagination, or was his voice a little lower than normal? Probably just his hushed tone.

“What are you gonna do when you get back home?” That seemed like a nice, safe topic.

“Have a good steak,” Tim answered right away. “And peas with real butter.”

“Mmm, that sounds good.” She smiled just a little.

“Take a girl out.”

She paused for a long moment. The wall was just in front of her face, a solid blackness in front of her. “You’re out with a girl right now.” She tried to make her tone light, joking, and mostly succeeded.

He took long enough to answer that was just about to apologize or something, but at last he said, “I guess I am.”

“Why don’t you ever take me out, Tim? I mean, all the other guys smuggle me out, but you never do.” Which seemed a little weird, especially considering he was down in her basement more than anyone else.

Again, he was silent for a long moment, and Darcy was convinced she was just never going to get an answer. “Come on, Darce, you don’t wanna go out with me.”

“Why not?” She could feel her heart beating in her chest, but that was just a result of their tension-filled trip through the woods.

“If I take you out, I’m not just gonna wanna go dancing, or look up at the stars.”

“Well,” she said slowly. “We can’t exactly dance here, there’s no light. And we can’t see the stars. So, what else would you do?”

He stiffened behind her, his arm tightening around her waist just a little. He shifted away, but before she could ask him what he was doing, he pressed gently on her shoulder until she was flat on her back.

His hand slid down over her chest, over her breast, down over her ribs until it was resting on her stomach. His moustache tickled her cheek as the warmth of his lips pressed against her skin. “Are you sure you want this?”

“I couldn’t be more-”

His lips closed over hers, cutting her off. He kissed her deep and slow, his tongue dipping into her mouth to tease at hers.

Darcy let out a soft hum of contentment. Her fingers slid through his hair as her mouth moved under his. It had been a while since she’d just been able to make out with anyone. All of her encounters around the base were quick, furtive affairs before anyone caught them. But Tim knew how to kiss, and seemed content just to lay there and make out.

Eventually, his hand slid back up over her torso to cup her breast. He kneaded a little, his fingers pressing in against her soft flesh.

A sudden thought had her twisting her head to the side, breaking the kiss. His mouth moved back along her jaw towards her neck, instead. “You know what would probably help us keep warm better?”

“What’s that?” he murmured, his lips against her skin.

“Being naked. Isn’t that a thing? Get naked and share body heat?” Bonus, she wouldn’t have to try and sleep in her clothes.

“Sounds good to me.” The bed shifted as he sat up.

Darcy sat up too, making quick work of her clothes. The skirt was kind of a pain to shimmy out of, but she managed. At least she wasn’t wearing any hose. She piled them down by her feet. They’d probably end up on the floor by morning, but she wasn’t sure she cared.

Tim’s fingers bumped into her hip. She reached for him as she lay back, finding his arms and sliding up to the back of his neck.

His lips found the corner of her mouth, but he didn’t stay there. He moved down, over her jaw. Her head fell back as he worked along her throat, his mouth sending warmth tingling through her.

He lingered in the hollow at the base of her throat before continuing his slow, hot path. He lifted up just long enough to shift over until he was kneeling between her legs, and then he continued his way down.

She bent her knees up on either side of the bed, feet flat on the blanket. She was trying to keep it down, it just felt wrong being loud in the dark, but she couldn’t help the gasp when his lips closed over one rosy nipple.

He drew it deep into his mouth until she arched into him. One hand was wrapped around her breast, holding it steady, the other braced on the bed. 

When at last he released her with a wet pop, it was hard not to feel a little disappointed. But he was making his way steadily down her torso, so it was easy to get over. “You know, I’ve always wondered what that would feel like.”

“Hm?” he asked as his lips trailed over the soft curve of her stomach. His hands slid down the insides of her thighs until he gently pulled her slick lower lips open for him.

“That!” Darcy gasped when his tongue flicked in against her clit. His moustache tickled pleasantly against her delicate flesh.

His answering hum sounded almost smug. His tongue danced over the sensitive bead of nerves until she couldn’t help but rock up into him.

“God, that feels so good,” she whispered, almost a moan. Tim was expertly building up the heat deep in her body. The pressing dark, the stark quiet somehow seemed to make everything that much more intense, and it wasn’t long before the world started narrowing down around her.

Her fingernails scraped gently against his scalp as she came with a long sigh. She hadn’t even finished coming down from her high before he shifted up, lowering himself over her.

The head of his cock nudged the entrance to her pussy before he pushed slowly inside. “Jesus Christ,” he breathed as his pelvis came to rest against her.

He pulled back, and she tilted up her hips to meet him. He fucked her the same way he kissed her, deep and slow, no matter how much she gripped at his hips or tried to urge him faster. “We got all night, Darce.” His voice was low and thick.

“You’re gonna kill me, Tim.” She let her head drop back against her jacket.

“Oh, I don’t think so. This may be the only chance we get to do this. I wanna take my time.”

She couldn’t really argue with that. Especially not when he worked a hand between them until the side of his thumb nudged against her clit with each roll of her hips.

Time fell away as ecstasy flooded through her. She rocked up to meet him each time he pushed deep into her. Gasps and sighs filled the air around them.

At last, he started to lose his rhythm. He sped up, and her fingernails dug in a little as she grabbed his ass. He snapped his hips into her one last time before she felt the pulse of his release deep in her cunt.

He withdrew right away, lying down next to her again. He took the time to get them both all covered up with the blankets. “Well, shit. I’m gonna have to take you out again.”

She smiled as she snuggled back into the warm wall of his chest. “I sure hope so.”


End file.
